White Sands
We decided to do a quick road trip to the south of New Mexico. In particular to visit White Sands.
At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of the basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. The giant dunes of gypsum sand cover 275 square miles of the desert. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Brilliant white, they dunes are ever changing. Only a few species of plants grow in this harsh environment. Several small animals have evolved white colorations to camouflage them in the sand. Unlike other desert sands, it is cool to the touch, due to the high rate of evaporation of surface moisture and the fact that the sands reflect, rather than absorb, the sun's rays.
I was ill prepared and was dazzled by the bright white sand! I couldn't see a thing when I was taking pictures! I now know I should've over exposed by one or two stops to bring out the sands whiteness to overcome my pictures of the sands looking gray! Oh well, next time :) It really is an amazing place to visit. Next time we'll get there for the amazing sunsets and stay overnight to enjoy the early morning there. It really is an amazing place to see. Here's a link for a bit more information en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Sands_National_Monument
Doña Ana County, NM
White Sands
We decided to do a quick road trip to the south of New Mexico. In particular to visit White Sands.
At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of the basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. The giant dunes of gypsum sand cover 275 square miles of the desert. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Brilliant white, they dunes are ever changing. Only a few species of plants grow in this harsh environment. Several small animals have evolved white colorations to camouflage them in the sand. Unlike other desert sands, it is cool to the touch, due to the high rate of evaporation of surface moisture and the fact that the sands reflect, rather than absorb, the sun's rays.
I was ill prepared and was dazzled by the bright white sand! I couldn't see a thing when I was taking pictures! I now know I should've over exposed by one or two stops to bring out the sands whiteness to overcome my pictures of the sands looking gray! Oh well, next time :) It really is an amazing place to visit. Next time we'll get there for the amazing sunsets and stay overnight to enjoy the early morning there. It really is an amazing place to see. Here's a link for a bit more information en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Sands_National_Monument
Doña Ana County, NM